Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 5/14/24

JP Sears will be starting for the Athletics on Tuesday, and he is facing off against Ronel Blanco. The Athletics are 19-24 this season, while the Astros, who are on a two-game winning streak, are 16-25. Houston is the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -203 compared to the Athletics at +169. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.

This AL West matchup is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the Astros are currently 4th in the division, while the Athletics are 3rd. Looking at the Athletics’ recent performance, they have won four of their last five games.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: OVER 8.5 Runs

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 ET on Tuesday, May 14th.

HOW TO BET THE ATHLETICS VS ASTROS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Athletics to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Houston cruised to a 9-2 win over the Athletics in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 2nd inning, scoring four of their nine runs. As for the Athletics, they scored their only two runs in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -182 on the money line.

Spencer Arrighetti only went five innings for the Astros but gave up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. On the other side, Ross Stripling struggled for the Athletics, giving up four runs in five innings of work.

Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros’ offense. Yordan Alvarez scored three times and drove in two runs while going 2/3. Victor Caratini also had a two RBI game at the plate.

Athletics Records & Stats

The Athletics are 19-24 overall and trail the Mariners by 4.5 games in the AL West. So far, they have gone just 4-7 in divisional games. Oakland is on a two-game losing streak, and they lost the series opener vs. the Astros. This season, they are 4-1 as the favorite and 15-23 as the underdog.

At home, the Athletics are 10-13 this season and 9-11 on the road. Oakland has dropped two straight as the road underdog, and their overall series record is 6-6-1. Over the last 10 games, the Athletics are just 3-7.

The Athletics are 23-20 against the run line this season, and 11-9 on the road. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games, and are 2-3 against the run line as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.4, but that number drops to -4.3 in losses.

With an over/under line of 8.5 runs, the Oakland Athletics have seen their over/under record improve to 22-20 on the season. The A’s have seen their games average 8.8 runs per game this season, and their games have gone over the over/under line in seven straight contests. This season, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs in just 7.0% of their games, with a majority of their games having lower over/under lines.

Oakland is sending left-hander JP Sears to the mound today vs. the Astros. Sears has made eight starts this season and has a record of 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Sears has a WHIP of 1.13 and opponents are batting .222 this season. One of his best outings came on May 3rd vs. the Marlins, where he went 6 1/3 innings and didn’t give up a run. In his last outing, Sears gave up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. He did come out on top in that outing, though.

So far this season, the Athletics are averaging 3.9 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been especially bad on the road, averaging just 3.2 runs per contest. As a team, the Athletics are batting just .223, but they have the 4th best isolated power figure in the league. Oakland’s team on-base percentage is just .299, which is 18th in the majors.

Designated hitter Brent Rooker has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his 10 home runs are 4th in the league. He is also 9th in the league with 27 RBIs. Rooker has been on fire of late, going 13/27 in his last seven games with two homers and seven RBIs. Catcher Shea Langeliers has also homered twice in his last six games while going 7/20.

Astros Records & Stats

With a record of 16-25, the Astros are 4th in the AL West and trail the Mariners by 6.5 games. Houston has won two straight games and is 6-5 in the division this year. The Astros took the first game of the series vs. the Athletics and have an overall series record of 5-7-1 this year.

At home, the Astros are 8-12 this year while going 8-13 on the road. So far, they are just 12-19 as the favorite, and they are 4-6 as the underdog. Over the last 10 games, the Astros are 5-5.

When the Astros win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.8 runs. However, they’ve been outscored by an average of 0.5 runs per game overall, leading to a run line record of 16-25. They’re 8-13 against the run line on the road, where they’ve been outscored by an average of 1.6 runs per game.

The Astros have been an over machine this season, with a combined run average of 9.6 runs per game. Their over/under record is 16-23, and their games have averaged a line of 9 runs per game. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, they are 4-5 to the over, and 61% of their games have had higher lines than that. They have hit the over in three straight games, including an 11-run game against the Athletics in their last game.

Houston is sending Ronel Blanco to the mound today vs. the Athletics, and he has made 7 starts this season. Blanco’s record is 4-0, and he has an ERA of 2.23. So far, he has turned in one complete game shutout and has 5 quality starts. Blanco’s WHIP for the season is 1.01, and opponents are batting .163 this season. In his last outing, Blanco gave up 2 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had gone three straight outings with a homer allowed.

As a team, the Astros are the top-hitting team in the league, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been especially good at home, where they are averaging 5 runs per contest. Houston is also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and OPS. The Astros have been tough to strike out this season and have the best team batting average in the league.

Kyle Tucker has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season, as his 13 home runs are the best mark in the league. He also comes into the game as the Astros’ top run producer, with 29 RBIs. Over his last eight games, Tucker has gone deep five times. Jeremy Peña has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/34 in his last nine games, with one home run and three RBIs.